Tobacco Documents Online

Smoking or Non Smoking? Here's a programme which enables hote s and restaurants to extend the 'Courtesy of Choice' and meet the needs of both parties. Act now, to pre-empt the type of blanket 'anti-smoking' legislation which has led to a slump in restaurant business elsewhere WHEN SMOKING WAS BANNED... Los Angeles Of 300 restaurant owners surveyed: 0 54% lost some regular customers E 43% reported increased customer complaints 33% reported decreased reservations 16% laid off staff 0 72% want Mayor and Council to let them set their own polides / A 12,000 delegate national conference was cancelled, resulting in a loss to the city of $9.7 million in retail sales and $544,000 in hotel bed taxes. Goody's Albuquerque, New Mexico  Imposed a voluntary ban, experienced an Immediate 30% sales drop, four out of seven restaurants dosed, 100 employees were laid off and smoking restored after ten months. New York  From April 1995, under the new Smoke-free Air Act, New Yorkers were ~forbidden from smoking in the dining area of any restaurant seating more than 35. Smokers can still light up at restaurant bars, provided that they are at least 6ft from the dining room or separated from eating areas by a partition. Ironically, while smokers can still puff away in the confined spaces of small restaurants, on the first day of the ban, at one fashionable establishment, just haif-a-dozen lunchers could be found enjoying a smoke-free environment usually filled by some 200. France 0 The Loi Evin, introduced in 1992, imposed restrictions on smoking in public places. The ban has proved highly unpopular and, two years on, the French continue their smoking though technically they risk prosecution. he preferences of smokers and non-smokers can be Taccommodated by the hospitality industry. Blanket smoking bans are not necessary. That is the message behind Courtesy oFChoice, a new programme endorsed by the British Hospitality Association and designed to satisfy the needs of both parties. Developed for the Inter- national Hotel Association, the programme has been taken up in a number of countries, as more and more face pressure from vociferous anti-smoking lobbies. The BHA's move comes in the wake of government bans on smoking in restaurants in some US states and France, which have resulted in a disastrous loss of trade. UK hoteliers, restaurateurs and publicans are urged to act positively, by demonstrating that they can satisfy the demands of non-smokers, without alienating their smoking customers. If industry takes the lead now, it could help to combat the threat of legislation in the future. As BHA chief executive Robin Lees comments: "It is far better for our industry to develop and implement programmes designed to accommodate guest preferences. rather than wait for the possibility of imposed restrictions." The Association's support for Courtesy of Choice follows a survey of member attitudes on Robin Lees, BHA chief executive introduces the 'Courtesy of Choice' programme to industry representatives the smoking issue. Of those who responded: 0- 81% already have some smoking restrictions in place; 0- 86% think that smokers are important to their business; 0- 72% feel that the issue is a current one; 0- 90% feel that managers and customers should decide about smoking policies; f, 7% feel that government should be involved: and Where to get your pack The Courtesy of Choice packs are offered with six options, to meet individual establishment needs, eg £15 (for a small restaurant); £25 (medium restaurant 50-150 covers or small, 50 bedroom hotel); £50 (large restaurant or medium 50-200 bedroom hotel); and £75 (large 200+ bedroom hotel). Cards sufficient for the first six months are supplied; further quantities can be ordered at nominal charge. Ventilation is a key element of the programme. Establishments can elect to carry out their own ventilation check or request an outside survey (cost £650 to £1,300 depending on size). For further information contact: Donough O'Brien, BHA/ Courtesy of Choice, Spring O'Brien Ltd., 143 Charing Cross Road, London WC2 OEE (tel: 0171 439 2344). 11- 79% would welcome an example of how the preferences of smokers and non-smokers can be addressed. Courtesy of Choice provides proprietors and managers with a comprehensive pack of materials. This includes two videos: Managing an Evolving Issue and a training programme giving A Staff Perspective. Also included are two brochures, one for middle management and the second on using ventilation effectively; table cards which designate smoking and non-smoking areas, carrying the overall message 'Welcome Smokers and Non-smokers ; window decals and guest explanation brochures and surveys. As industry representatives heard at the launch. ventilation is vital to the programme's success. Determining the correct airflow and allying it to ventilation is the key to positioning tables for smokers and non-smokers, stressed David Handley, managing director of Healthy Buildings International. Members of his audience could judge results at first hand, for they were sitting in the Langham Hilton Hotel, where Courtesy of Choice has been tested over several months in this turn-of-the-century building. As general manager Michael Shepherd commented: "If the objective is to demonstrate that we have taken the initiative and created a sensitive piece of self- regulation, then I think we have achieved just that. I would certainly recommend the programme to others," he added. VOICE May 95 • 21